Machine for assembling cord taps



Aug: 1954 s. M. WEISBERG 2,686,357

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING CORD TAPS Filed March 6, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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1954 s. M. WEIS BERG MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING CORD TAPS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6, 1951 INVENTOR. 5/0/1057 #2 #2765594 BY 9 2 1954 s. M. WEISBERG MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING com: TAPS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 6, 1951 G 7 R n ma WW 5 my Mm mW 6 m Aug, 17, 1954 s. M. WEISBERG 2,636,357

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING com) TAPS Filed March 6, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. J/a/w-r/V. Wi/sanm Patented Aug. 17, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING CORD TAPS Sidney M. Weisberg, Newark, N. J., assignor to Allied Electric Products, Inc., Irvington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 6, 1951, Serial No. 214,077

4 Claims. 1

The invention here disclosed relates to the assembling of cord taps, particularly those of the type covered in copending patent application Serial No. 195,382, filed November 13, 1950, now abandoned, in which the terminal contacts at the ends of the wires have reversely bent hooked ends to interlock over shoulders provided in the plug body.

A special object of the present invention is to assure firm and positive engagement of these hooked ends of the contacts over the shoulders in the plug.

Other and more general objects of this invention are to provide a machine which will operate to practically automatically efiect the proper assembly of the contacts and wires in the plug body.

A further special object of the invention is to provide an automatic machine of the character indicated which will be readily understandable by an operator and which may be governed and controlled with the least physical effort on the part of the operator.

The foregoing and other desirable objects are attained by novel features of construction, combinations and relations of parts, all as hereinafter set forth and as illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings.

These drawings, considered as part of the following specification, illustrate a present commercial embodiment of the invention. Structure and arrangement, however, may be modified and changed as regards the present'illustration, all

within the true intent and broad scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. l in the drawings is a broken part sectional plan view of one of the cord tap assembling Inachines, some parts shown diagrammatically. =In' this view the hand lever is lowered or-brought back to open the machine, ready for reception of the plug and the contacts to be inserted intothe plug;

Fig. 2 is a broken longitudinal sectional view on substantially the plane of line 22 of Fig. 1, with the contacts and plug engaged on the holder for the same, ready to be turned down into the as sembling position;

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged broken transverse sectional views on substantially the planes of lines 3-3 an 4-4 of Fig. 5, showing first the sliding gate or door structure for separating the blades or needles and second,-the fingers for supporting and then opening up the plug body;

Fig. 5 is a broken partial plan view showing the tap contacts in the holder, folded down-into assembling position and the plug, in section on its holder, also folded down in assembling relation;

Fig. 6 is a further enlarged broken plan of parts appearing in Fig. 5 and showing the top or back slide advanced to efiect opening up of the plug, advance of the clearing blades through the opened up plug and separation of the advanced blades by the gate members;

Fig. '7 is a still further enlarged broken sectional detail view showing the contacts advanced into the opened up plug;

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the final travel of'the blades or needles to inset the contacts into fully hooked engagement over the supporting shoulders provided in the plug body;

Fig. 9 is a. broken sectional view of the finished cord tap removed from the machine.

The machine shown comprises in the main, front and back slides l l and I2 operable in opposition in a base or framework [3 and carrying,

the first a holder 14 for the terminal contacts the wires. Flat springs 24 temporarily and yieldingly hold these wire securing ends of the contacts in these seats in the holder.

. Fig. 2 shows how the wire terminals may be seated in the forked ends of the pivoted holder l I,

and Figs. 5 and 6 show how after engaging the contacts, with wires attached in the holder, the latter may be turned down to locate the contacts in line with the plug l9 seated in the cavity 25 provided to receive the same in the base structure.

' Figs. 2 and 4 shows how the plug l9, which is of stretchable material, is first engaged over the distending fingers 26, then in upstanding relation, and Fig. 5 shows how these fingers, pivotally supported at their bases at 21 on the laterally reciprocating slides 28, may then be folded downward to locate the plug in the nest or cavity 25, ready for the opening or expanding operation to receive the contacts.

Springs 29, Fig. 4, seated in the lateral slides 28 in back of the distending fingers, hold the latter in the upright or in the down turned positions shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and springs 30 tend to thrust these slides to the closed, centralized posiwedge 3! entered between the slides.

The plug distending wedge 3|, as shown in Fig. 2, is carried by or forms a part of the back or upper slide [2, and the latter is indicated as operated by the air cylinder 32 containing a piston connected with this slide by the rod 33.

Figs. 5 and 6 show how the operation of cylinder 32 is effective through advancement of the rod 33 and slide l2 to force the spaced, generally parallel needles H, which are spring, stripszof a size to pass through the blade openings l8" in the plug, inward through these passages, following the distention of the plug by the spreading fingers 26.

The inner ends of the needle strips I! preferably are sharpened as indicatedwatd lgFig. 5,-so

wedge 38 toropposite sides 'ofcompaniomgate elements 39, Fig. 3, dependent from opposedrcross slides 40 which are pressed toward each .othenby springs 4! and have inclines 42 for engagement by actuating inclines 43 on-bars "44 attached to a cross-head 45 on the piston rod-:33.

Fig. 6 shows how-the needlestrips ll arez'fully separated'by the gate members 39.preparatory .to the driving of the wireterminals into the then fully opened'plug body.

The front slide l l is shown in Fig. l as pivotally connected at46 with a hand lever 41:;pivotal-ly linked on the frame at 48.

The movement of this lever isaassisted-bys-an air cylinder 49, Fig. 1, containing a :piston 150 connected with the lever by link 5 I.

The action of this air cylinder, however, "is delayed to give the operator opportunity:to:"first start the slide H on its assembling strokeand thus first to make sure that the contactahol'der is turned down intoposition andithe-plug isifaully opened, ready to receive the contacts.

This delayed action is automaticallyseffected in the illustration by a 1l1g52 on .leverrhandle 41, positioned to actuate switch 53,.Fig.?.1,.after the lever has completed a, certain initialzxportion of its stroke, said switch then energizing: magnet E lto actuate and air'valve;55-to:compiete:air supply connections at 56,86, 51, to thetpower cylinder 49.

The air cylinder v32 which opens the plug-may be controlled by'a foot valve,.not shown,safter which hand lever 4'! maybe startedon itsxmovement, the-power cylinder .49 then automatically completing the stroke .of the leverrsufiicient to drive the contacts fully into-the opened plug, from the Fig. 6 to theFig. 7 position.

On the completion of this contact inserting movement, started by handand'finished'by-power cylinder 49, a hand grip 58, Fig. 1,--on:1ever"41 may be actuated to interrupt themagnetcjrcuit 59 at the switch 60, whereupon thespringfl will lower the movable element 5,5of the airvalve to the .position'shown in'Fig. 1, to carry'the exhaust passage 62 therein in register with .anexhaust-port 63 in the side or the air valvecasine. Pressure in cylinder 49, in front of .piston, 5.0..will thereupon exhaust through connection .,51,.-va1ve passage 62 and port63, to permit hand ,lever 4'! to be returned to the lowered position to retract the lower or front slide, leaving-the 6.6 1 tacts [Shocked over the shoulders -provided -by -4 the side openings 36 in the plug, substantially as shown in Fig. '7.

In this operation of inserting the contacts in the opened plug, the hooked outer ends 23 of the contacts are engaged over the shoulders 65 in the outer ends of the blade receiving passages l8, substantially as indicated in Fig. 7.

While normally the contacts, with their hooked inner1and.. outer ends, willgproperly engage over "the-shoulders at 36 an'd65 in the opposite end portions of the blade receiving passages 18, it may happen at times that such engagement and ;-interlocking-of-the parts may not be fully com pleted.

i I-he-operationillustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 is wherefore-preferred, in which the needles I I carry at'their-inner sides the cam ridges 66 positioned 110. slidepover the: outwardly bowed, intermediate portions 6'! of the contacts and to force said contacts inwardly toward each other into firmly and fully interlocked engagement over the positioningshoulders36and-65.

.This;=extra interlocking movement'of the back .-:sllde;is.raccomplished in the illustration by providings-avertical cylinder 68, Figs. 1 and 2, con- ;taining a piston. 69 having a rod 10 carryin a fork I'll .archedsover the piston rod 33 to normally .sta-nd inrthe wayaofanabutment 12 on said rod.

This construction provides an automaticstop .to .ylimitathe stroke-of the back slide to a position :of;,the:par.tszas shown 'inFig. 7,-where the cams :BBsontthevneedles are backof the blade passages in the plug, leavin these passages clear for entry ofzthe contactsli.

.sAf-ter fst-his :partial assembly has been completedrthervertical-air cylinder 68 is energized to. liftthe stopyoke'l laand permit the'back cylin- :.der.. 32" tothrustthe back: slide forward sufiiciently --to,pro.ect the cams 66- over the contacts, as shown zimEigsa.

'iThis. suautomatically: efiected-by an adjustable stopyl3c-on1the-outer ;end portion of hand lever 41 engaging the stem 14 of -an=air valve '15 consnectedctor supply-compressed air through pipe 16 to; the stonlifting cylinder 68.

Hand :lever 41 X for actuating the -'front slide therefore :has several functions. "It is used by hand to start the'front slide in its'assembling movement. .In this initial: movement it operates switch2'53:z-to;.ener ize;powen cylinder 49 for. -c0m pletmgctheiassembly. stroke, then as this movement zsubstantiallyz-zcompleted it -actuates air valve =15? torenerg-izenupright cylinder 68 to lift the stop '-.'I I and;.rpermit;zcylinder 32 to complete the stroke'of;thesbackislide'rsuflicient to'cam the contacts. into final: pcsition'in: the; plug, and then finallycthey rip 58 :on: thishandle' is operated to interrruatithemagnet;- circuitrandmermit exhaust ofipressure from :gcylinder =,49:-and return of the handlever-hback; to. itssouter-zor; lowered position, Fig. 1, leavingsthe;contacts;locked in .place in the plug.

.With. assembling .operations (completed as described, ..the .foot value, not .shown, may :be trip d L OF' exhaust power-cylinders ;32 "and-c681 to retractthe zbackzslideeand iowerrlthe trip, -co1- lapsing the plug on the containedcontracts: and wireaand leaving it ffree to :be extracted from its nest 22-5, .asmy upwardzzpull on' the inserted cord.

..In.;this; upward;;pull :on the cord i the spreading fingers-mayrbe drawn upward into the upstandin a'nositionzshownginiFigs. z-and 4,'ready to receive the next-"plug ,or' tap bo'dy.

:The ineedles, ;shar.pened :at rtheir inner ends, are Spring :tensioned toward. each r other sothat in entering the contact passages l8, Fig. 5, they will slide over the inner walls of these passages, thus to cut any flash away from these inside walls. This is important since if any flash were left attached to the inner walls, the entering contacts pressing against the same would have a tendency to stretch and carry this flash up over the side pockets 36, which would then have a tendency to obstruct the entrance of the hooks 31 into these pockets.

Also, it is important that the contacts be supported substantially as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, spread apart so that they will not solidly abut the abrupt shoulders 65 and so that instead the more or less rounded and backwardly inclined inner sides of the hooks 31 will operate as cams Sliding over and away from the shoulders 65.

In addition to clearing the way for the entering contacts, the needles help to fully open up the tap body and provide guide surfaces over which the contacts may slide freely into fully seated position in the tap. At such time the needle strips are held spread apart by the separators 39 in somewhat convergent relation in the nature of a guide funnel for the contacts, covering the angled inner ends of the tap body spreaders 26.

The importance of power assist for the last part of the operation of the assembling lever 4! will be appreciated by reference to Figs. 7 and 8, which show how the rubber of the tap body must be forcibly stretched to effect engagement of the hooked ends of the contacts over the supporting and positioning shoulders 36 and 65. These hooked ends are spaced closer together than the normal spacing of shoulders 36 and 65.

In the assembling movement the lower hooked ends 23 of the contacts engage the shoulders 65 and must continue their movement before the upper hooked ends 37' will interlock over shoulders 36. Consequently the contacts must be forced in hard enough to compress the rubber at the shoulders 65 suflicient for the inner hooked ends 31 to slip in over the shoulders 36. The power cylinder 49 adds the extra power required for this compressing of the rubber and full seating of the contacts over the shoulders.

When the lever 41 has completed the full assembling stroke, started by hand and finished by power cylinder 50, actuation of the hand grip 58 will effect release of air from under piston 50 and permit the lever to be easily drawn back by hand to the position shown in Fig. l, the upper end of the power cylinder 49 being open to atmosphere to permit free upward or downward movement of piston 50.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine for assembling cord taps comprising front and back slides mounted to operate longitudinally one over the other, spreader slides mounted to operate transversely of said front and back slides, spreader fingers carried by said spreader slides for entry in the cord passage in one end of an elastic tap body, a wedge carried by the back slide and operable between the spreader slides to effect the opening of the cord passage of an elastic tap body engaged on said spreader fingers, a pair of flexible blades carried by said back slide spaced to enter the blade receiving passage in the opposite end of a tap body distended by said spreader fingers, transversely operating gate members positioned to lie between the inner ends of said blades when the latter are projected through said passages in the tap body, means carried by said back slide for effecting separation of said gate members transversely to thereby spread apart the inner projected ends of said flexible blades, a holder on the front slide provided with means for temporarily supporting a pair of tap contacts and attached wires spaced in position to enter between the spread apart inner ends of said flexible blades, power means operable on the back slide to effect the separation of said spreader slides, the projection of the blades through the tap body passages and the separation of the gate members to effect the spreading of the inner ends of the flexible blades and means for operating the front slide to drive the holder inwardly between the spread apart ends of the blades and carry the contacts thereon in guided engagement over the inner faces of the blades into final position in the tap body.

2. A machine for assembling cord taps comprising front and back slides mounted to operate longitudinall one over the other, spreader slides mounted to operate transversely of said front and. back slides, spreader fingers carried by said spreader slides for entry in the cord passage in one end of an elastic tap body, a wedge carried by the back slide and operable between the spreader slides to efiect the opening of the cord passage of an elastic tap body engaged on said spreader fingers, a pair of flexible blades carried by said back slide spaced to enter the blade receiving passage in the opposite end of a tap body distended by said spreader flngers, transversely operating gate members positioned to lie between the inner ends of said blades when the latter are projected through said passages in the tap body, means carried by said back slide for effecting separation of said gate members transversely to thereby spread apart the inner projected ends of said flexible blades, a holder on the front slide provided with means for temporarily supporting a pair of tap contacts and attached wires spaced in position to enter between the spread apart inner ends of said flexible blades, power means operable on the back slide to effect the separation of said spreader slides, the projection of the blades through the tap body passages and the separation of the gate members to effect the spreading of the inner ends of the flexible blades, mean for operating the front slide to drive the holder inwardly between the spread apart ends of the blades and carry the contacts thereon in guided engagement over the inner faces of the blades into final position in the tap body, cam elements on the inner faces of the blades and means for effecting a final movement of said blades to engage said cam elements with the backs of the contacts inserted in the tap body.

3. A machine for assembling cord taps comprising front and back slides moimted to operate longitudinall one over the other, spreader slides mounted to operate transversely of said front and back slides, spreader fingers carried by said spreader slides for entry in the cord passage in one end of an elastic tap body, a wedge carried by the back slide and operable between the spreader slides to effect the opening of the cord passage of an elastic tap body engaged on said spreader fingers, a pair of flexible blades carried by said back slide spaced to enter the blade receiving passage in the opposite end of a tap body distended by said spreader fingers, transversely operating gate members positioned to lie between the inner ends of said blades when the latter are projected through said passages in the tap body, means carried by said back slide for effecting separation of said gate members transversely to thereby spread apart the inner projected ends of said flexible blades, a holder on the front slide pro- -vided with means 'for temporarilysupportinga pair of tap contacts and attached wires-spaced in position to enter between the spread apart inner ends of said flexible blades, power means operable on the back slide to effect the separation of said spreader slides, the projection of the blades through the tap body passages and the separation of the gate members to effect the spreading of the inner ends of the flexible blades, means for operating the front slide to drive the holder inwardly between the spread apart ends of the blades and carry the contacts thereon in guided engagement over the inner faces of the blades into final position in the tap body, cam elements on th inner faces of the blades, means for effecting a final movement of said blades to engage said cam elements with the backs of the contacts inserted in the tap body and including a movable stop limiting movement of the blades through the tap body and means for withdrawing said stop to permit further movement of the blades by said power means to effect engagement of the cam elements with said contacts.

4. A machine for assembling cord taps comprising front and back slides mounted to Op longitudinally one over the other, spreader slides mounted to operate transversely of said front and back slides, spreader fingers carried by said spreader slides for entry in the cord passage in one end of an elastic tap body, a wedge carried by the back slide and operable between the spreader slides to effect the opening of the cord passage of an elastic tap body engaged on said spreader fingers, a pair of flexible blades carried by said back slide spaced to enter the blade receiving passage in the opposite end of a tap body distended by said spreader fingers, transversely operating gate members positioned to lie between the inner ends of said blades when the latter are projected through said passages in the tap body, means carried by said back slide for effecting separation of said gate members transversely to thereby spread apart the inner projected ends of said flexible blades, a holder on the front slide provided with means for temporarily supporting a pair of tap contacts and attached wires spaced in position to enter between the spread apart inner ends of said flexible blades, power means operable on the back slide to effect the separation of said spreader slides, the projection of the blades through the tap body passages and the separation of the gate members to effect the spreading of the inner ends of the flexible blades, means for operating the front slide to drive the holder inwardly between the spread apart ends of the blades and carry the contacts thereon in guided engagement over the inner faces of the blades into final position in the tap body, cam elements on the inner faces of the blades, means for effecting a final movement of said blades to engage said cam elements with the backs of the contacts inserted in the tap body and including a movable stop limiting movement of the blades through the tap body, means for withdrawing said stop to permit further movement of the blades by said power means to effect engagement of the cam elements with said contacts, a hand lever for controlling operation of said front slide and means operable by said hand lever for initiating the operation of said stop withdrawing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,086,998 Gilbert July 13, 1937 2,163,716 Turner June 27, 1939 2,278,557 Overbeke Apr. 7, 1942 2,281,478 Chirelstein Apr. 28, 1942 2,281,479 Chirelstein Apr. 28, 1942 2,366,908 Jenkins Jan. 9, 1945 2,476,693 Bogart July 9, 1949 

